Sweetwater County residents can help stop prescription medication abuse by disposing of their unused or out-of-date medications to one of two secure “lock box” locations within the county, according to Rock Springs Police Chief Dwane Pacheco.
Drop off unused, prescription medications at the RSPD or the GRPD.
Lock Box Program
Lock boxes allow people to easily and anonymously dispose of unused, prescription medications. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana — just ahead of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines.
.
Lock boxes give people in Sweetwater County a place to take their unneeded prescription drugs to dispose of them safely. These boxes are a significant addition to all our ongoing efforts to fight substance abuse across the county — and in all of Wyoming.
-Dwane Pacheco, Rock Springs Police Chief
.
People can drop off their unused, prescription medications 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Rock Springs Police Department on 221 C St. in Rock Springs, or Monday through Friday from 8 am-5 pm at the Green River Police Department on 375 West Flaming Gorge in Green River.
Items that can be dropped off securely include:
- Controlled substances (medications for pain, sleep, anxiety and ADHD)
- Expired medications
- Refrigerated medications
- Open packages
- Veterinarian-prescribed medications
- Unsealed, over-the-counter medications
- Vitamins
- Medical patches or creams
Green River Police Chief Chris Steffen said people don’t realize most illegally sold prescription drugs come from home medicine cabinets.
.
The most important action our citizens can take to help prevent prescription drug abuse is to monitor their drugs carefully — and get rid of old and unneeded drugs. With our lock boxes, we’ve made it easy for people to combat prescription drug abuse in all of Sweetwater County.
-Chris Steffen, Green River Police Chief
.
Most prescription drugs used by youth across Wyoming come from the medicine cabinets of friends and family, said Cassandra Crumpton, community prevention professional for the Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming in Sweetwater County.
“It’s unbelievable the ways people have found to steal drugs from homes – from taking drugs at open houses to stealing from homes while family members are away at a funeral,” Crumpton said.
Fighting Prescription Drug Abuse
Keeping track of drugs, reducing the availability of drugs in the home, and disposing unneeded drugs are the best practices people can implement to fight prescription drug abuse, Crumpton said.
Some unused, non-narcotic medications also can be donated to the Wyoming Medication Donation Program, which is operated by the Wyoming Department of Health.
For more information on what can be donated, call 1-855-257-5041. The drop-off location in Sweetwater County for the donation program is the Sweetwater Pharmacy on 2620 Commercial Way, Suite 121 in Rock Springs.
The lock box program is supported by a grant from the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police and the Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming using funding provided by the Wyoming Department of Health.
Contact Information
For more information about prescription medication abuse, contact:
Cassandra Crumpton
307-389-7364
ccrumpton@pmowyo.org
Rick Hays
307-389-7229
rhays@pmowyo.org
